"I was raped when I was a senior in high school. At first, I didn't tell anyone what happened. My mother had always said that sex was something you saved for the person you loved and that it was really important to be a virgin when you got married. When I was raped, I confused the rape with sex. I thought that if I wasn't technically a virgin, then I must be bad. I thought, "No way am I ever going to say anything. It would kill my mom." But, my mom knew something was wrong. She could see I was upset. Finally, I couldn't hold it in anymore. I told her. I won't pretend that she took it well at first. We had to talk about it a lot. Fortunately, I also told my best friend and she convinced me and my mom to get some counseling. I think that what also helped is how close my family is. Although my mom took it really hard at first, when she finally realized I wasn't the guilty one, she was really there for me."

---LUCIA